Which vegetables in this photo achieved ‘powerhouse’ status?Source: Supplied

WHEN it comes to fruit and vegetables, it seems not all are created equal.

With a different vegetable hailed as a superfood every week, it can be difficult to decide which vegies to stock your fridge with.

But a new study from US researchers has set the record straight, identifying the top 10 powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFVs) from a total list of 41 nutritionally dense fruits and veg, published in the Preventing Chronic Disease journal.

Watercress topped the list, with a perfect score of 100, followed by Chinese cabbage (91.99), chard (89.27), beet green (87.08) and spinach (86.43).

Watercress is great in soups and salads.Source: Supplied

Surprised? So were we. The humble broccoli, brussels sprouts, and hipster-favourite kale didn’t even make the top 20.

Foods were granted powerhouse status if they contained more than 10 per cent of the daily recommended intake of 17 different nutrients — potassium, fibre, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K — which are considered necessary to “prevent chronic disease”.

The scores were capped to make sure foods with a huge amount of one nutrient wouldn’t be unfairly advantaged.

The research from William Paterson University is the first time fruits and vegetables have been ranked by their nutritional value, according to the study’s author, Dr Jennifer Di Noia.

But berries — hailed by nutritionists as the healthiest fruit out there — were left off the list. Although they’re rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals (non-essential nutrients), “there are no uniform data on food phytochemicals and … recommended intake amounts for these compounds are lacking,” Dr Di Noia told The Washington Post. “So the scores are based on nutrients only.”

It’s hoped the list will “provide clarity on the nutrient quality of the different foods” and help people choose “more nutrient-dense items within the powerhouse group,” the study results state.

A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites.